Organized or Not?
Posted by Kim Murphy on 08 Sep 2009 | Posted in: Classroom Management, Organization and Supplies, Teachers and Teaching
As I look about my office, I notice a lot of piles. There are piles of folders, piles of ideas, and piles of miscellaneous things that need to be sorted into other piles. I’m sure some of my coworkers are horrified at my haphazard organizational system. It isn’t that I don’t want to have everything in its place; I really do! However, my brain doesn’t seem to function that way.
The one time I always had everything organized and as neat as a pin was at the beginning of the school year. Of course, my organized room would slowly disintegrate into my more typical piling method. Do you consider yourself well organized? Are you consistently neat and tidy or do you lean a bit more toward my method of organization? Do you feel that your home and classroom are both organized or does one suffer? Drop me a line and let me know!
Your slightly disorganized blog host,
Kim
Congratulations to Rhonda Brown of Messiah Lutheran Preschool in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She is the winner of a copy of one of the books from our Mix & Match Games series.
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63 Responses to “Organized or Not?”
More Comments Pages: « 1 2 3 4 [5] 6 » Show All Comments
More Comments Pages: « 1 2 3 4 [5] 6 » Show All Comments
I try to stay organized but I always end of with piles.
Same here! I always think, if I only had enough containers and label maker tape, my life would be on track! But, I am always one container short, then i need 10 more, then, well, you get the picture. My mom always used to make fun of my “piles” as a kid, too. I tend to stack things in piles, but, I can find it. There is no question there!
I am all for being organized- all aspects of life run smoother when things are in order. Now- that’s not to say that that chaos never occurs. I do find that when I am better organized, I am better able to enjoy those crazy times!
I would like to say that I’m organized at both home and school. I do have systems in place at both places but fine that when I am in the midst of too many happenings - things go crazy. I also have that one folder that never seems to get empty because I hide everything in it.
I strive for organization every day. Being organized makes me more efficient and like I have really accomplished something that day besides looking for everything. At home, I am organized, but I am married to a clutterbug that I have to go behind once a week and purge his little piles. If I spend 5-10 minutes each day just to file and trash, then I don’t have a lot looking at me at one time.
Diana has a good point– so many teachers keep everything so that we may recycle it. I’ve noticed my ambition for recycling has caused the largest amount of piles, both in my classroom and home.
I always have the highest hopes for organization, but sharing my classroom with other staff, and working with very busy children means spending a whole weekend every few months reorganizing everything
I feel the same way. If my school stuff is neat and organized then my home stuff is somewhat chaotic. There doesn’t ever seem to be a happy medium where both things look well maintained. Hopefully that will change someday.
I believe in the power of organization! Although it takes a little time, in the long run it saves you time in the classroom! If you know where everything is (and can actually find it) then you don’t waste instructional time looking for stuff!
All of those comments sound like me. I work hard at being organized but…. It’s nice to know that I’m not alone.
I try to stay organized, but I am sure it looks like a whirlwind half of the time. I think my problem isn’t keeping things organized, it’s that when I start organizing I pull out way too much stuff at one time…which becomes overwhelming. I do have this dream of being the organized queen that I wish to be…one day I’ll get there. But, for now, I am still wading through my haphazard pile.
I organize all my stuff on the day after the last day of the school year, while everything is still fresh in my mind. Having taken notes and kept them in the folder with the lesson plan, I can simply look at the note and see what I need to change. Organizing might take me a couple of days, but no more than that. Then I can forget about it all summer, and a few days before school starts again, a quick look to refamiliarize myself with the upcoming year is all I need. I also use lots of containers throughout the year to keep things together.
I think everyone has good intentions of staying organized but time, space and life gets in the way. I feel I am just like Diana who feels I have to save everything. I have to keep a paper copy and a copy on my computer. I guess I am just not really that high tech. yet.